An independent, nonpartisan foreign policy membership organization; founded in 1921. It may be considered one of the most powerful forces of the U.S. foreign policy besides the U.S. department of state. The mission of the council is to promote understanding of America's role in the world, and foreign policy. Rumors and controversy have surrounded the group because of the high ranking officials in the group, and large number of aspects of U.S. foreign policy the group has been involved with.

The two types of membership are a 5-year term, or life. Some corporate members include; ABC News, Coca-Cola, Nike, PepsiCo, NASDAQ, Google, Bank of America, Visa, and more. Other notable members include; Michael Bloomberg, Jimmy Carter, Dick Cheney, Bill Clinton, Colin Powell, John McCain, Angelina Jolie, and many others.